


Rise

by ArthurErikson



Series: Journeys of a Hero [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: HeartGold & SoulSilver | Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions, Pokemon
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Nuzlocke Challenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-26 14:20:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13859535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArthurErikson/pseuds/ArthurErikson
Summary: A young man with a special talent takes his first steps into the world on his own chasing a near impossible dream. A sinister organization once more steps out of the shadows in a bid for power. And through all this, legends search for the one who can bring balance back to the chaos that is overcoming the world. First volume in the Journeys of a Hero series





	1. Prologue

Prologue

"This is just one of the ways I'm curious about drawing out a Pokémon’s power."  
"And you believe it could work?" The scientist took off his small oval framed glasses and cleaned them with a cloth he took from the breast pocket of his blazer before replacing them on his face. Behind him, a presentation showed the hypothesis' about how the evolution signal worked through the living system.  
Two weeks ago, this particular scientist had been contacted by an anonymous source asking for a meeting to discuss his research and talk about potential employment. The man had published a paper years ago questioning how best to release the true power of Pokemon and if it was possible for them to do this themselves through the process of evolution. The scientist had received plenty of emails regarding his research. Even the famed Professor Oak had contacted him. However, he and the professor had disagreed about the potential within Pokemon. Which was why this email regarding an employment opportunity was rather interesting.  
"I believe so yes. According to research done by Professors Elm and Oak, I have reason to believe that this 'signal' if you will, acts as an evolution inducer. As soon as the requirements are met by the Pokémon, their body releases this signal, which causes the vast increase in energy and allows the Pokémon in question to gain immensely more power."  
"So, you believe you could make this machine produce a signal which will make a Pokémon evolve? Whether it is ready or not?"  
"Given enough power yes." The man stared at the scientist from across the boardroom table. While he wasn't usually in the business of listening to talks such as these, nor hiring outside help, this man’s paper had come across his desk recently. The idea was intriguing enough to follow up through back channels.  
"I will admit, I am intrigued. You do not seem to be overtly worried about the ethical issues this type of research could raise” the seated man said in a steely voice.  
“You will have a hard time finding someone as passionate about unlocking a Pokemon’s potential as I am. I only care that I am allowed to conduct my research to find the true way to do so.” Archer was impressed with the doctor. It was after all this man’s research which had made Archer attempt to create that specific signal all those years ago. He had failed then. He would not fail now.   
“When are you available to start?” Archer asked still seated. The scientist smirked.  
“Right now,” he replied. Archer nodded, expecting as much.  
“As you are aware, I cannot condone this sort of thing in my position. However, I will see to it that you are contacted with the location where you will be picked up and taken to our facility. It is near completion and you will have everything you require in order to pursue this.”  
“I appreciate it” the scientist said. Archer stood and held out his hand. The scientist gripped it and left. Turning around, Archer clicked the remote laying on the desk to raise the blinds of the conference room. As the shadows rose, so too did the large Houndoom which had been laying in the corner. Archer stood facing out over the sprawling metropolis below him. Today was the dawn of a new era. Heels clicked upon the floor announcing the arrival of Archer’s counterpart within the shadow organization.  
“Oh Archie, you didn’t tell me you were meeting with such a cute little toy today!” the woman said in a high voice. Archer frowned.  
“What are you doing here Ariana?” he asked in a tight voice. His Houndoom paid the new addition to the room no mind.  
“Why coming to help of course” the woman replied.  
“You’re not supposed to be seen here” Archer said in a flat tone.  
“Oh, quiet you know no one saw me” Ariana snapped. If there was one thing that annoyed her about the quiet power struggle between her and Archer, it was that Archer’s more public face gave him an inflated ego. “I need to know what is happening with Mahogony and you won’t return any calls. So, if you won’t talk on the phone, I’m going to come in person.” The implied threat was not lost on Archer who was still frowning at the woman.  
“You understand that I still have to be a part of a functional government?” he asked, almost sarcastically.  
“Are you putting that before us?” Ariana countered. Archer shook his head. The woman was impossible.  
“The funding has almost been secured. Pryce won’t challenge the mayor, so within the month the project will be set to begin. Do you have the other two prepping?”  
“Of course I do. Proton is having fun I’m sure right now. Petrel has a team at the Lake of Rage scouting. We will need to start recruiting now.” Archer nodded his agreement. Looking out over the city, Archer saw the tool which would grant him the power to bring back his infamous organization reaching into the sky.  
“Begin here. There is a large enough population here. Proton can begin training them. We will also need to begin formulating plans for subduing the quarters here. Find someone trust worthy and send them to me. I’ll place them somewhere where they have clearance.” Ariana smiled, making her sharp features stand out and look that much more menacing. 

The middle-aged woman walked into the living room to a flashing blue TV screen. Her son was watching that same re-run once more. That the battle had happened a little under three years ago didn’t matter. The two trainers who were pitted against one another were amongst the best. Margaret smiled as she saw the rapt attention her son was paying to the battle. If only you could see him now she thought. Margaret had lost her husband nearly a decade ago to a tragic boating accident. His research had survived on, as had some of his most powerful Pokemon from when he had been a full-time trainer. Since then, Margaret had raised her some Arthur on her own moving to New Bark town, so she could help at the Johto regions largest laboratory.   
It was due to this move that Arthur had been able to grow up around Pokemon. New Bark Town wasn’t very large, and thus the lab doubled as the school for many classes. Researchers from around the region came to both teach and spend time pursuing various aspects of Pokemon.   
“You should probably get some sleep if you’re working at the lab again tomorrow” Margaret told the young man.  
“Yeah I will once this battle is finished” he responded.  
“Arthur you know how it ends. I don’t even know how many times you’ve seen that battle. Professor Elm wouldn’t appreciate it if you fell asleep while on the job!” Arthur leaned his head back over the back of the couch to look at his mother.  
“I’m not sure he’d notice.” Those blue-grey eyes of Arthur’s, sparkled with amusement. Professor Elm was notorious for getting lost in research and not being able to pay attention or notice anything else for what seemed like days at a time. “And besides, I’m still analyzing!”  
“What else could you possibly be analyzing? Even your father didn’t watch battles this much!”  
“Did you guys have TV?” Margaret playfully swatted her son as he laughed. “It’s just so intense! I mean, Gary wasn’t even champion for a full year before Red walked in and took him down.” Margaret couldn’t deny how intense that battle had been. Arthur had begged to go visit and Lorelai had even offered tickets to the spectacle. She had declined however, wanting to keep Arthur away from the league for a bit longer. Not that it mattered. Arthur seemed determined to chase down a dream of becoming a champion.  
“Well please don’t stay up all night alright?”  
“I won’t” Arthur said, rolling his eyes. Margaret smiled and kissed the young man goodnight.  
Arthur stayed up a while longer, watching the conclusion of the battle once more. Champion battles were something else. Power, precision, teamwork, speed and tactics were put on display at a level that most people could not even imagine. Those trainers who had achieved that plateau were typically idolized by younger generations such as Arthur. That his father had been offered an Elite position was something that Arthur took pride in. It was this that, in part, was the reason he wanted to become a trainer.  
Arthur looked down at his phone as it pinged, alerting him to a message. It was from his childhood friend Lyra. You gonna be at the lab tmr? It read. Arthur quickly typed back You know it! Smiling, Arthur turned off the TV before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Images filled his head of calling out commands to various Pokemon, taking the place of both Red and Gary who was also known as Blue.

"When are you going to ask the Professor for a partner?" Lyra asked that night after they had finished their shifts. The Pokemon on the Professors lands had been looked after and were milling about. Arthur and Lyra had made their way to their hill, one which stood bare to the sky above.   
"Pretty soon I think" replied Arthur still staring up at the starry night sky.  
"Pretty soon?” Arthur turned and looked at his childhood friend. Her eyes were a brilliant blue and her heart shaped face was bright with excitement.  
"Well I don't really think I'll become the champ sticking around here. Do you?" He winked as he said it and Lyra started laughing a sound that was always pleasing to Arthur's ear.  
"Probably not but it's not going to be easy to make it to the league!" This time it was Arthur's turn to laugh.  
"Really? Damn and here I was thinking they would just shower me with praise and give me the title!" They went back to staring at the stars for a time. Lyra was nervous as she too was planning on embarking on a journey. In fact, it was with Arthur who she would be travelling with, much like how she had grown up with him. The two had been planning on leaving New Bark Town for a number of years now. The entire town was excited for them both as well as they were known as the best two trainers to come from the area in years.  
For the past two years, ever since the Team Rocket attacks, governments from both Johto and Kanto had stopped newer trainers from undertaking the gym challenge journeys. Or at least they had tried to. An uproar had gone up to not allow the actions of a terrorist organization, one which had been defeated by one of those exceptional trainers, to prevent others from chasing their dreams. Even the Champion of the sister regions, Lance, had spoken against the prevention of new trainer journeys. Lyra looked down to her little Marril, Mari, curled up beside her.  
"She's looking forward to leaving too you know." Arthur laughed.  
“I know” he said with a smile. Lyra looked into her friends deep blue eyes, flecked with grey. She had always found Arthur’s eyes to be his most striking feature, like deep oceans you could get lost in, and yet feel nothing but comfort from them. Well perhaps his second most striking feature. Arthur was one of those people who had a gift, but his was one that next to no one knew about. He had always been able to speak with Pokemon. It was part of what made him so good with them.  
"Have you thought about who you're going to pick?"  
"Yeah."  
"And...?"  
"It's a surprise" he said with a sly smile.

Zuki held the egg delicately in her hands as she walked up to the door of the house. Her Umberon walked beside her, light as soft snow. The doorbell chimed within as Zuki pressed it. It was a moment before the door opened before her.  
“Ah Zuki!” the older man said at the threshold to his house. “Come in, come in.” Zuki entered the house, her kimono skirts fluttering at her feet. The warm spring night was contrasted by the cool interior of the home.   
“Mr. Pokemon. Thank you for taking this upon you” the young woman said, lightly placing the egg she had been carrying on the coffee table.  
“This is the egg?” Mr. Pokemon asked, inspecting it. The shell was a brilliant white, with red and blue shapes scattered across the surface.  
“Yes, it’s a very special egg. Thus, the trainer whom receives it must be equal to the task. We know no one else who may know the right person to impress this upon.” The elder was nodding along, his gaze still transfixed on the egg.  
“Professor Elm has told me about a particular young man…” the thought trailed off. After another moment, Mr. Pokemon continued his thoughts. “You’re sure you don’t want to find Red for this?” Zuki was silent as she chose her words carefully.  
“Red was a special trainer. However, we believe his path differs from what we have seen.”  
“Zuki I know you girls are exceptional, but even you cannot see into the future.” Zuki nodded. But the prophecy didn’t speak about the trainer known as Red. It couldn’t.  
“We know, but we do believe it has to be someone different.”  
“Alright, I’ll take your word on it. I’ll keep my eye out and make sure this egg finds its way to the right trainer.”  
“Thank you” Zuki said. Her Umbreon lead the way out of the house. Zuki took one last look back, the idea of the prophecy beginning finally sinking in to the kimono girl.


	2. Chapter 1 - How do you like your Eggs?

Chapter 1 - How do you like your Eggs?

Professor Elm was a middle-aged man, rather thin for his age, with a prematurely balding head. That did not stop him from being one of the top experts in Pokemon evolution however. Wearing his typical green button-down shirt and brown khaki’s, he grabbed his starch white lab coat and donned it as he walked over to his computer. Setting down his coffee mug, he opened his desktop to check through his list of daily emails. Frowning through his square rimmed spectacles, Elm noticed an email from an old contact, a person with whom he hadn’t spoken in some years.

‘Elm! 

It’s around this time that you typically have a new crop of trainers coming through I believe? Well do I have a research opportunity for you! I recently was given an egg from some old acquaintances. I’m much too old to be travelling around these days. I know how much you love seeing Pokemon grow from their youngest stages. I was hoping you had a promising young trainer who might be able to help you with this.  
It cannot be just any trainer however. I was told that this egg is rather special. Not sure what could hatch from it but let me know if you’re interested!

Your friend,  
Mr. Pokemon

Elm was definitely piqued by the possibility. And he did have just the trainer who would be perfect to raise such a Pokemon.  
Arthur walked in to the Professors lab. He was so well known around here that the Pokémon who lived in the area and which the Professor studied all ran up to Arthur and begged for his attention. Of course, this commotion led the Professor himself over to investigate.  
"Ah, Arthur! You're here, good, good. I suppose you're quite excited to be starting your journey soon?"  
"I am yeah. Pretty sure my mom is a little sad that I'll be leaving but I can't wait. I've been ready for this for some time now" the young man replied. The Professor smiled. Professor Elm knew that his two top pupils were ready to begin their journeys and go out to discover what they were capable of and what direction their lives would take. And of course, there was big hope riding on the shoulders of Arthur Soul from the townspeople. He was related to a famous researcher himself, but also, his father was a powerful trainer in his own right.  
"Well I'm glad to hear that. Though before you go, I was wondering if you might do me a favour?" The professor asked.  
"Of course, professor. What did you need?"  
"I received an email from an old friend of mine this morning. His name is Mr. Pokémon, and he lives just north of Cherrygrove."  
"I know who you're talking about. My mom has told me about him once or twice” Arthur answered.  
“Ah perfect. Well his email was talking about an egg that he received."  
“An egg?” Arthur questioned. While he was aware of Pokemon eggs, he’d never actually handled one. Only occasionally did one come through the lab, and those typically did not stay for very long.  
“Yes, it’s an interesting proposition. He was hoping that someone could come and pick it up from him. However, I don’t have many people available to send at the moment. I was hoping that perhaps you could go and get it before you decide on embarking on your journey?” Arthur frowned slightly.  
"Of course, professor. However, could I ask for a favour?" The professor smiled, already anticipating what was coming next.  
“You’re hoping you could ask for your first Pokemon?” Elm ventured. Arthur’s eyes widened slightly out of surprise.  
“Actually yes. I’d love to get to know my partner a bit before Lyra and I head out on our journey.” Elm was smiling even larger now. Here was a young man, so polite and good with Pokemon. True his interest in research was more geared towards the legends, like his father before him. But that had not stopped Arthur from being a valuable asset to have around the lab for Professor Elm. Elm also knew that his father’s early passing meant that Arthur wouldn’t be provided his first Pokemon from a family member. Margaret had allowed friends of hers to continue looking after most of both hers and Matt’s Pokemon, refusing to take up training anymore in order to raise her son.  
Elm beckoned Arthur to follow, leading the young man to a room where all new trainers who were not already given their first Pokemon came. As lead researcher for the region of Johto, it was also Professor Elm’s responsibility to make sure new trainers were paired with their first Pokemon. And in Johto, there were three choices. Elm released the three starters for Arthur in an order to allow the young man to decide on his first partner.  
“These three Pokemon are new here, so you won’t have met them yet. It also means they won’t be aware of your gift either” Professor Elm told the new trainer. The professor was one of the few people who was also aware of Arthur’s talent to understand Pokemon. “This is Totodile, the water type.” The small blue bipedal Pokemon materialized before Arthur, looking menacing and ready to fight already. His attitude was somewhat abrasive Arthur could tell. The two made eye contact, Arthur raising an eyebrow. His attraction to water types had lead him to lean on picking a Totodile from Professor Elm, but this water type didn’t seem to be very impressed with Arthur.  
“Next is Chikorita, the grass type.” As the green quadruped materialized out of it’s pokeball, a pleasant aroma filled the air. Arthur bent down to make eye contact with the tiny Pokemon, noticing how shy she was. Arthur smiled and extended a hand to be nice, but already deciding that this Pokemon wasn’t the right fit for him.  
“And finally, we have Cyndaquil, the fire type!” A blue and milky white furred Pokemon appeared before Arthur. A small amount of heat emanated from the fire type, who looked up at Arthur with wonder. The Cyndaquil tilted his head to the right as he regarded Arthur. Something about the fire type made Arthur pause. This Pokemon was the smallest of the three at the moment, but Arthur sensed something in him.  
“Hey there” Arthur said.  
“Hi” came the quiet reply. “Who are you?” Professor Elm couldn’t understand the small sounds made by the Cyndaquil but Arthur could.  
“My name’s Arthur. Do you have a name?”  
“I was called Blaze when I came into the nest.” It was a simple statement. But there was confidence in the voice, quiet as it was.  
“Well Blaze, I’m headed out on a journey pretty soon. I plan on becoming one of the top trainers in the world. How would you like to join me?” Arthur asked, holding out his hand. The Pokemon Blaze seemed interested in the young man, but his next statement sent Arthur laughing and almost falling down.  
“I have no idea what that means, but sure.” Blaze walked forward, into Arthur’s still outstretched hand. The small Pokemon was warm to the touch, not hot like the new trainer would have expected.  
“Professor, I’ve made my choice. I’ll take Blaze!”

“Arthur!” a young woman’s voice called out. The new trainer turned around to face his childhood friend. “Ready to make the rounds?” Lyra asked.  
“Actually I can’t today. Professor Elm has asked me to pick up a Pokemon egg from Mr. Pokemon over in Cherrygrove.”  
"Oh that’s exciting! Do you know what kind of egg it is? Or how long will you be gone?" Lyra’s excitement caused Arthur to laugh. He knew his friend wanted to become a Pokemon breeder, and her caring skills with Pokemon were impressive.  
"Only a couple of days. I'll be back before you know it. Then we can really get to prepping for this trip!” Lyra started laughing. Mari was running around the both of them and suddenly cried out in surprise as a new face popped up onto Arthur’s shoulder.  
"Oh! Arthur! Is that..."  
"My first Pokemon?” Arthur asked excitedly. He reached up to scratch the Cyndaquil under his chin. “Yes he is! Lyra meet Blaze and Blaze this is Lyra and her Marill, Mari!" Arthur's Cyndaquil jumped down and did a small bow. Mari walked up to him and they started to chase each other around.  
"So, Elm gave you your first Pokémon finally hey?" Lyra said bugging her friend. His eyes were so bright and happy, Lyra couldn’t stop grinning.  
"He did. This should be a good trial run I think for heading out."  
"You're right it will be! Oh, Arthur I’m so excited!" Arthur laughed once again.  
"I’ll second that! I’ll make this trip to Cherrygrove real quick. I’m happy that I don’t have to transit it there. Blaze and I should be able to make it there sometime tomorrow.” Lyra nodded along. Tagging along, she followed Arthur back to his house to collect his gear for the walk to the neighboring town. Margaret was home still when Arthur and Lyra walked in. She smiled and was excited to meet her son’s first Pokemon and yet there was a small sense of sadness to, seeing her son becoming a grown man before her eyes.

Dusk was starting to set in when Arthur decided to set up camp for the night with his new partner Blaze. He had considered going straight through to Cherrygrove but on such a cloudless night it seemed a waste not to spend it outdoors. Blaze watched as the tent went up and Arthur gathered some dry wood for a fire. Before long in the small clearing a fire was burning happily sending few sparks up to dance among the stars as trainer and Pokémon looked on.  
"So, Blaze, I suppose we should get to know each other a bit” Arthur said after a warm dinner. His spirits were high. Here he was camping with his very own Pokemon. His first partner.  
“I want to know what you meant by becoming a trainer? I thought all humans were trainers” Blaze responded, staring at Arthur. The young man laughed.  
“Is that what your parents told you?” The Cyndaquil nodded.  
“Well that’s not entirely true. While most human’s do choose to have a partner Pokemon, not everyone does. It depends on both the Pokemon and the human who could be their partner. I however, am one of those people who is looking to become one of the best trainers. I want to have a team, friends to travel with and become stronger with.” Arthur stared into the flames as he said this, envisioning once more what it would be like to challenge the Elite Four. Blaze was also thoughtful as he digested this.  
When Blaze was born, his mother had explained to him where he was. Sanctuaries had been set up to foster certain Pokemon for first time trainers. Blaze had spent his first few years of life, living beside humans, learning what they were like, and how they could help him become stronger. He had yearned to leave however. While he grew up with plenty of land to roam around, and never went hungry, there was always something missing. His father had noticed this as well. Out of all his brothers and sisters, his father had chosen to name him Blaze because he was destined for something greater.  
"So the idea is that we travel around and what? Just meet more Pokemon?" Blaze asked.  
“That’s part of it for sure. But there will also be battles. I assume you know about those?” Blaze nodded. Battles were fun. A competition where you got to pit yourself against others in a contest of strength, endurance and intelligence. Blaze was already regarded as fast among his nest. But the way Arthur described battles, they seemed so much more than the tussles he used to get into.  
The two talked into the night. The more they spoke, the more Blaze realized that Arthur was someone he could trust completely. He was someone who wanted the best for Blaze, as well as for himself. And as Arthur described his goals, Blaze realized that this is what he too had been searching for. He wanted to become the strongest. He wanted to be the best. 

It didn't take long for Blaze and Arthur to reach Cherrygrove the next morning. Arthur had come here often while he was growing up to shop with his mother, so he didn't feel a huge need to explore the city. However, there was one area that he needed to show Blaze.  
"This here is the ocean Blaze!" The tiny fire Pokémon looked out over the wide blue expanse and the people playing on the sand and in the water.  
"It's so big..." Blaze seemed a little wonder-struck at how massive the world could be. Arthur kept forgetting that his new Pokémon's upbringing had been kept to a small volcanic area somewhere in Johto. He knelt down beside his tiny partner.  
"That it is buddy. I wanted you to see it though. My family has spent lots of time around the ocean. My dad used to research legends, mainly ones to do with the ocean."  
"I mean that’s cool but a little bit too much water." Arthur started laughing and picked up his friend.  
"Come on you, let's hit up the Pokémon centre before heading out to Mr. Pokémon's house."  
It took another half of a day to reach Mr. Pokémon's cabin in the woods from Cherrygrove. Along the way Blaze and Arthur had battled a number of wild Pokémon, with Blaze coming away completely undefeated and growing all the more powerful after every battle. He had learned how to use smokescreen and delighted in obscuring his opponent's vision in the heat of battle making it easier to avoid attacks. Of course, the disadvantage to Arthur was that he sometimes lost track of Blaze in the process but they were working hard to fix that. It wasn’t just Pokemon who gained experience when battling. Evening was approaching and the two were almost within sight of Mr. Pokémon's house when another wild Caterpie jumped out in front. Arthur looked down at his friend who also jumped out ready to rock and roll.  
"Alright buddy, shall we practice our strategy once more?" Blaze nodded. "Then let's hit it with a smokescreen!" Arthur yelled out. His friend bounded in closer and released a cloud of black smoke so dense that the Caterpie's string shot failed to find Blaze.  
"Now close the gap and use tackle!" Arthur was getting so much more used to Blaze's movements that he could now make out the tiny shape that was his partner running forward and slamming in to the opposing Caterpie. The two Pokémon rolled across the ground and Blaze quickly jumped up and away. However, this time the Caterpie's string shot managed to find its mark and wrap itself around Blaze's hind leg bringing him crashing down. Arthur winced as his Pokémon landed hard on the unforgiving ground.  
"You alright Blaze?" He called out concerned. Blaze bounced up immediately though seemed more annoyed at the strand of gooey webbing than anything else. It made it more difficult to move as fast as he could. "Forget the silk and move in for one more tackle!"  
Blaze immediately forgot about his problems with the webbing and rushed in for another attack. The Caterpie had just regained its feet when Blaze crashed in to it once more. This time the Caterpie was knocked out cold.  
"Excellent battle young man!" Arthur turned at the statement, startled. Two older men were striding from a rather modest looking cottage in the clearing next to where he stood. While Professor Elm had told Arthur what Mr. Pokémon looked like, it was the second man who held Arthur's attention. Almost elderly, with slate grey hair and crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, Professor Samuel Oak still gave off a rather impressive image. Standing at six feet, it was said that the old man never had slowed down and continued travelling around the various regions for research or other such events. Professor Elm had told Arthur much about Oak growing up and Arthur couldn't believe that he was getting the chance to meet the man in person.  
"You must be the young man Professor Elm sent! Well don't just stand there, come in, come in!" said the second man with much enthusiasm. Mr. Pokémon was a tad on the eccentric side, but he was modestly dressed and wore a hat to contain the fly-away hair he had. Blaze had returned to Arthur's side and pushed his ankle to get his friend moving.  
Arthur followed the two men inside, inspecting his surroundings. There was Pokemon artifacts and paraphernalia everywhere. Then the rookie trainer’s eyes caught sight of the brilliant white egg standing in a specialized container on the coffee table. He felt himself drawn to it. Mr. Pokemon, Professor Oak and Blaze simply watched as Arthur knelt in front of the case. A soft light suddenly seemed to emanate from inside the shell.  
"What's inside?" Arthur asked quietly.  
"No idea! But it would be invaluable to Professor Elm’s research! He's an expert in Pokémon evolution you know. Even Professor Oak here will admit to that!" Oak nodded along wearing a faint grin on his face at his friend's excitement. Of course, Arthur already knew this having worked at the lab for all these years. “Now who would like some tea?” Mr. Pokemon asked.

Blaze sniffed Arthur’s drink as the three humans sat on the couches in Mr. Pokemon’s house. Arthur was surprised to be having tea in this company. Both men were rather famous, each in their own right. But to be having a drink with none other than the Professor Oak…  
"Where did you learn to battle like that?" Professor Oak asked the new trainer.  
“School taught us all the basics, but to be honest, I’ve spent a lot of time rewatching some of Red’s battles.” Oak nodded along. “My favourite is still probably his match against Blue, sorry, I mean your grandson Gary for the championship a few years ago.” Oak laughed, and Mr. Pokemon smiled. Blaze tried a bit of Arthur’s tea, finding the aroma pleasant and the taste even better.  
“Well I must say, that kind of strategy does remind me of Red. He is quite adept at using not only his battlefield surroundings, but also a Pokemon’s moves in inventive ways. That was one of the main reasons he was able to best Gary at the championship. Power isn’t everything." Arthur found himself nodding along to the professor’s assessment.  
“I remember Red. Didn’t talk much" Mr. Pokemon added.  
“He used to. I think going up against team Rocket, mostly alone changed the young man.” Arthur was silent. The events in Kanto were still rather fresh for most people. Red wasn’t just a champion. He was a hero, an icon people looked to as the epitome of trainers everywhere. And then he had simply vanished.  
“Do you know where he went?” Arthur asked. His face rapidly went red from blushing. People must have asked the professor this question all the time. It was a stupid thing to say. Arthur was mentally kicking himself while Blaze helped himself to more tea.  
"I do.” Oak replied. “You and he seem to share many of the same traits. There's a gleam to your eyes that his held as well. I can’t say where he’s travelled to however. He asked me not to say. There were things that he came across in his travels that were rather dangerous, and he said he needed time to process everything.” Arthur nodded somewhat relieved that the professor didn’t seem mad at all for him asking about the most famous trainer in practically the world.  
“Tell you what, how would you like to help me out? I'd like to give you this Pokedex. It contains all the information about any of the Pokémon you are like to meet on your journey. And you'd be doing me a favour by documenting all those that you come across!"  
"I would love to help!" Arthur said, barely believing his luck! Professor Oak thought he deserved a Pokedex! It was like a dream coming true. Oak reached inside his travelling bag and brought out the newest edition Pokedex and handed it over to Arthur. "I can't thank you enough Professor."  
"No need my lad. Just do your best and make sure to see as many different Pokémon as you can!" He smiled then looked down at the gold faced watch on his wrist. "But my apologies, I must be leaving now. I have to be back in Goldenrod tomorrow for my talk show!" Arthur shook the Professor's hand once more and watched as Mr. Pokémon led him out.  
"What do you think Blaze? Pretty cool hey?" Arthur showed off the new Pokedex.  
"A new gadget interests you more than the mysterious egg in front of you? Talk about messed up priorities..." Blaze jumped out of the way making excited noises that reminded Arthur of laughter right before blowing a smokescreen into his trainer’s face. As the fire type leapt down from the couch, Arthur went to take a drink from his cup, only to find it empty.  
"That's it you're getting traded when we get back to the lab!" Arthur exclaimed through his laughter.


End file.
